It conveys a real sense of multitude: battle encampments, corpse-strewn battlefields, fortified city walls, bloody carnage everywhere. On the stage itself there’s Greco-Roman wrestling and the clash of sword upon shield, between comrades and combatants. At the centre of the hurricane there is Helen, a cool and calm beauty who is supposedly the cause of it all, admirably played by Lily Cole.

The Last Days of Troy is at the Royal Exchange Theatre until 7 June 2014, further details can be found here.